Todd Southgate

The Xavantes of Maraiwatsede

2011-10-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

Another video I produced for Greenpeace outlining the connection between international leather and meat markets and the Amazon's destruction and the suffering of indigenous peoples.

Kayapo Assemble to Defend the Xingu

2011-09-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm rather proud of this video, given it was shot news-style over the course of 3 days, we still managed to get quite an important story told.

Sadly, the government is still hell bent on building Belo Monte - insanity in Brazil prevails in political circles, which is why we took to the streets yesterday, in the pouring rain, to protest the government's incompetency and corruption. As one protester said lamented, there's no one flash point issue in Brazil right now, the country is awash in political malfeasance and the noise in the streets was to send a clear message to the government that the country is watching and they need to clean up their act.

2011-07-28T13:35:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been a while. But I have an excuse; sort of.

2011-07-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

Apologies for my absence.

Thankfully it’s been a busy year but the weak state of this blog has more to do with procrastination than vocational exhaustion. True, I’ve been back and forth to the Amazon three times, once again in the company of James Cameron and crew and another time documenting a historical gathering of indigenous leaders. My work in the Amazon has me helping a number of environmental groups fight against the Brazilian Government’s incredibly insane plan to build a hydro-electric dam on the Xingu River. Yes, the 513 German U-boat search proved successful. The Lone Wolf that eluded the Schurmann family and researchers for two years was finally found, while I of course documented this historic moment. The PBS documentary “Lost in the Amazon: the Enigma of Col. Percy Fawcett” in which I was the director of photography in the Brazilian Amazon was aired with excellent reviews, and my own projects have indeed been chomping away at my time, too. The Dirty Little War over Chico’s Bar has proven to be a difficult documentary to dig into given the complexity of its social commentary as well as the frustrations of getting information from the government or governmental groups involved. The “Bem Estar Animal” video/ institutional has become a tad bigger than I had originally envisaged, but it’s already hinting at being successful in that just the trailer has already helped spread the word in regards to the treatment of animals in Brazil and provoked one Mayor to Act.

Now it’s confession time.

Although I’ve been knee-deep in exciting projects, campaigns and adventures the sorry state of this blog comes down to simple neglect. For that I am sorry. Even worse, for someone like me who makes a living communicating, to leave an important medium like this unattended for such a long period of time is indeed a career crime. Maybe that’s why the phone is not ringing off the hook.

So, on that note, my newest blog…

“crickets”

OK, I’ve nothing earth-shatteringly important to say or express. Instead I’ll simply use this post to explain a few of the projects I’ve been involved in or I am currently working on to give my zero faithful followers of this blog an idea of some of my career highlights six months into 2011.

Rio de Janeiro

The year started out on a tragic note. Heavy rains and poor land-use planning in the Serra region of Rio de Janeiro led to mountains of mud literally burying people and homes in 7 municipalities. Over 700 were killed, 600 missing and thousands left homeless. With a crew from Greenpeace we spent a week documenting the devastation for future climate change projects. It was indeed a tough assignment; the stench of death was in the air and the stories of loss too much at times to deal with but there were no shortages of heroes as well. Firefighters, community leaders and businesses all chipping in to ease the suffering and search for the dead. Events like this are growing in frequency and intensity and the government of Brazil is not equipped to deal with these types of catastrophes.

Before arriving in Rio de Janerio we were documenting the drought in the southern part of Rio Grande do Sul. Whether it’s an excess or a lack of water the results are similar – misery and desperation. Is this a foreshadowing of things to come if we don’t heed climatologist’s warnings? I know what I think. How we get the rest of the world on side is another story. Hopefully, we can produce a part II to the award winning documentary I produced with Greenpeace in 2006 called: Mudancas de Clima, Mudancas de Vidas.

Is that Arnold Swartzenegger and James Cameron in the Amazon?

I had the opportunity to work with the great folks from Amazon Watch once again as they raised more awareness about the Brazilian government’s plans to build the world’s third largest hydroelectric dam on the Xingu River which will dispel tens of thousands of people from their homes while affecting the fishing grounds for indigenous groups throughout the region. Once again they were in the good company of famed AVATAR director James Cameron and this time Mr. Cameron was with an old Hollywood friend. Surreal doesn’t begin to describe working in the company of people like this, especially in the middle of the Amazon and with historical environmental figures like Cacique Raoni, but then again you need to put aside the silliness of going ga-ga over celebrities and focus on the pressing issue at hand and what needs to be communicated.

No sense in writing too much about this, you can see the video I filmed and edited right here. Remember, the issue of Belo Monte is not over. Please get involved. We need the world to tell Brazilian President Dilma that 18th century destructive projects that trample the human rights of indigenous populations have no place in this new millennium.

Bem Estar Animal

I’ve long been an animal lover. I was even awarded the Humane Society of Toronto’s honour for “Outstanding Commitment to Animals” decades ago for a City TV news serial I filmed, hosted and produced about animal cruelty called “Cowards among us”. The news series also won Canada’s gold CanPro award for excellence in Canadian broadcasting.

Well, here in Brazil being an animal lover is indeed difficult given the state of many animals in this nation and the treatment they receive from the general population. Strays (called Vira latas here) are so endemic that few pay attention to them and they've literally become part of the Brazil’s landscape.

I’d always had the intention of producing something to shed some light on the problem of strays in Brazil and the general need to treat animals more humanely and with greater sympathy, then I met Maria Graca da Dutra. Graca is an animal rights activist who came to Florianopolis 10 years ago and decided to pick up the fight on behalf of animals. She met up with the right politics and created the first ever municipally funded clinic for animals which provides the city of Florianopolis with the infrastructure to spay and neuter strays so that they don’t continue to breed, but the clinic also provides veterinary services for poorer populations on island, as well as legally pursues those who commit acts of cruelty. Working concurrently with other NGOs a very successful adoption program was created which sees many of these strays removed from the streets, treated and then placed into warm and welcoming homes.

It’s an incredible program, one that sets out to educated the population as well as help animals, and interestingly enough it’s all controlled under the City’s Health department. Health officials here realized that if animals are healthy they are less likely to transmit diseases to people which makes for a more healthy population.

The idea behind the video is to show other municipalities in Brazil that there is a solution to their problems in terms of strays and that as this Nation continues to move forward it must once and for all address its sad record in dealing with animals.

We released a video trailer, seen below, with no fan fare and the trailer has already inspired Mayors from other municipalities to study this facility. Change is on the way for our furry friends in Brazil.

513 –

Ok it’s not saving the world, or a video with an important social or environmental message, but it’s historically significant and actually kinda cool too. I was asked 2 years ago to help the Schurmann family of Brazil document the search for a German u-boat that was sunk off the coast of Florianopolis 64 years ago. This would mean weeks at sea, bobbing up and down in a sailboat, while that sailing craft dragged along a side-scan sonar studying the ocean’s seabed in search of something large and mental and obviously not a fish. There was of course much more involved in pinpointing where this sub may lay, but let’s leave that for the documentary…k?

I had the pleasure of getting to know the researchers and the Schurmann family well over these two years and was always amazed that they never lost sight of finding this sub even when conditions were least than favorable.

Just two weeks ago the 513 was found. Again, I’ll avoid going into too many details other than to say that the official moment that the sub was found and recognized I was onboard filming the elation of this dedicated team, feeling like I was a part of that team.

I’m the only foreigner who was part of this large group and interestingly enough the 513 was the very same sub that entered Canadian waters 69 years ago and responsible for the sinking two Canadian ships during the battle of Bell island. I think it was fitting that a Canadian be onboard for this historic find.

Here’s the trailer I filmed and edited for this documentary, under the direction of David Schurmann.

More news to come.

Judge Suspends Belo Monte Dam project

2011-02-26T05:22:00.000-08:00

A Brazilian judge has blocked plans to build a huge hydro-electric dam in the Amazon rainforest because of environmental concerns.

Although we should all take a moment to celebrate this decision, no one can let their guard down and believe this is the end of this project. Belo Monte has been a dream of the Brazilian government since the dictatorship in the 70's (apparently, no one is upset that a project created by a dictatorial and repressive regime over 3 decades ago is being embraced by a "progressive" a "liberal" government whom's leaders were tortured under said military dictatorship - I digress). However, it is indeed good news.

Here's the caption underneath the photo posted in the BBC article

"The ruling follows protests by local indigenous groups"

Congratulations to all involved on that day of protest, it was a honour to film your work, dedication and spirit. Let's hope this nail in the project's coffin is strong enough to keep it sealed.

Here's the video from that day.

A Message from Pandora wins International Award

2011-02-19T08:05:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to work with Mr. James Cameron, some of the cast of Avatar (Sigourney Weaver and Joel Moore) and the team from the environmental group Amazon Watch when they travelled back to the Amazon to talk further with native and community leaders about the government's plan to put a dam in the region. Images I filmed on that foray into the jungle were put into a new documentary by the Oscar winning director called " A message from Pandora" (see trailer below).

The documentary was included in last November's release of the collector's version of the ground-breaking and environmentally important 3D film " AVATAR". I only had the opportunity to see the production last week when a copy I ordered of the DVD set was sent from Canada to Brazil (the trials and tribulations of living in this nation I'll leave for another post). It's an incredibly important documentary highlighting one of the most disastrous projects to ever be considered for the Amazon.

The documentary won Germany's Cinema for PEACE international award. I hope this helps push the story farther around the globe and more learn about the Brazilian government's plans to uproot the lives of thousands of indigenous and local peoples in the area, for a project that doesn't make any sense economically or environmentally.

Congratulations to Amazon Watch, to James Cameron and all involved in this production, and the greater fight. I am happy to have helped in my small way.

Candiota III - Investimento em tragédias climáticas

2011-02-14T06:37:00.000-08:00

This was a small video we threw together quickly about a month ago when learning the President of Brazil was going to inaugurate this coal burning climate changing plant. When the President's office got wind of activists in the area, she cancelled her plans. Now, the Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Sul is giving IBAMA 15 days to suspend the licence of this plant which will spare the atmosphere of 2,76 million tons of CO2.

Pecuária ilegal em terra Xavante

2011-02-14T06:36:00.000-08:00

Belo Monte: It's not too late!

2011-02-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

A spot I wrote and created for Amazon Watch, and their struggle against the Belo Monte Dam project. I've been to the area in question a few times now, and it is one of the loveliest in the Amazon. The idea of flooding this area and uprooting the lives of those who call this part of the Amazon home is simply criminal. As one poster on another site put it to the politicians in Brazil: "How would you like it if we came to your home and put a forest in it".

600,000 Say No to Belo Monte Dam

2011-02-14T06:29:00.000-08:00

A number of groups from the Amazon and elsewhere converged in Brazil's capital briging with them over 600,000 signatures opposing the government's plans to build a dam in the Amazon. I was called on by Amazon Watch the film and edit the days events, which led me into the President's Palace along side Cacique Raoni a legendary Kayapo warrior.

The signatures were delivered but to deaf ears. The Dilma Government has made it abundantly clear that they want this monstrous project to go through. See the video and the great work carried about by great groups concerned about this horrible Belo Monte Dam.

Floripa na Luta!

2008-07-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

Sad news for Brazil, the Amazon and the world

2008-05-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

Marina Silva's life and her fight to preserve the largest and most biologically diverse tropical rainforest on earth is not only inspirational but it would make for a great Hollywood film. Regrettfully, now that she has stepped down as Brazil's Environment Minister, the future of the Amazon and the final scene in this film could turn tragic.

No need to write anything, Keith knocks it out of the park

2008-05-15T05:09:00.000-07:00

The sleeping giant awakes?

2008-05-14T04:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a great piece echoing my concerns here about Brazil finally awakening as a true global player. Thankfully, some still know this nation has a lot to overcome and warns Brazil to avoid getting too cocky too fast, especially given the nation's newest boost could go bust with a simple change in commodities markets.

To the north, Environment Minister Marina Silva has resigned. She was an honest defender of the Amazon and insiders say the battle was too much for her and that she was against all odd. There is a perfect storm brewing over the Amazon these days. New laws which will place the forest at greater peril, a new law to limit the movement of the forest's greatest defenders and now the only real political support the forest had, is stepping down.

We live in interesting times here.

Watch the rhetoric and lies

2008-05-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

A horrible and yet all to common story out of the Amazon last week. After being convicted and sentenced to 30 years for ordering the assassination of Nun, Missionary and environmentalist Dororthy Stang, the farmer Vitalmiro Moura was acquitted on appeal. What most point to as further proof to the long and blatant tradition of impunity enjoyed by the wealthy in Brazil, this article by the Associated press speaks to another issue that has also long plagued the Amazon region but is usually ignored by the international community. Regretfully it is something that is happening in other parts of the world, too.

Environmentalists in the Amazon region have long been accused of working for foreign governments to usurp control of the Amazon from Brazil. We’re demonized here as a tactic to deflect attention from the activies of thieves and their illegal and destruction opeartions. And what better way to obfuscate the situation in the hearts of most citizens here than to create a foreign threat? In Brazil, many have been forced to believe that environmentalists wish to steal the Amazon for richer countries to plunder. That’s right. I work with non governmental organizations that were created by the U.N or the United States, or Europe (depending on the version of the myth), with the specific task of claiming ownership over 6 million square kilometers of tropical forest, so that Bush et.al can watch their financial portfolios grow. Sound absurd? Of course it is.

It is just as absurd as what many in North America believe in regards to the issue of global warming. At first it was argued that Environmentalists are little communist foot-soldiers looking to steal the developed world’s wealth and redistribute it to poorer nations - the tool to do so would be the Kyoto Protocol. More recently, the conspiracy focuses on an elaborate get rich scheme concocted by the one man who couldn´t manage to get elected President against a doornob in 2000. You see some similarities with these and the conspiracies in Brazil? Most will. Your more entrenched and scholastically challenged right wing rogues will be left scratching their heads.

I raise this not only because I attended Dorothy’s memorial in 2006, and I have worked in this region (under some of the most stressful conditions) for over 10 years, and that I’m sincerely
worried about those who I know that continue with great efforts in the Amazon; I bring this up because this idea of lying to demonize environmentalists to either protect the status quo or two win cheap political shots is not only incredibly stupid, but it can prove deadly. The debate in north America is getting uglier and more caustic. I’ve seen Juliano Fatino call peaceful environmentalists “terrorists”; the blogosphere is filled with conservative generated hate and conspiracies aimed at painting the environmental movement as “anti-human”, “unpatriotic” and DANGEROUS. However, the danger is not in what environmentalists do, but what can come when some pro-gun nutjob believes environmentalists are a threat to his nation and personal liberties.

Big economic gains, but little changes where it counts

2008-05-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

It’s welcome news here, and of course because it’s a positive story about Brazil (for a change) the national media is all over it like a Rio pro over an American monger. “the sleeping giant is awakening” screams the headlines here in Brazil and it must be true, because a foreigner from England has said so.

I’m happy that the nation is doing better economically, and really this is what is at the heart of the article. All international economic indexes point out that the fourth largest country in the world, blessed with the best natural resources on the planet, has finally managed and learn how to make some cash off of its mineral, biological and agricultural inheritance. There’s no innovation here, or very little of it, the money is coming in through resource extraction and farming. This is not necessarily a problem, unless you’re an Indian in the Amazon. However, the world has long surpassed the agrarian age, and although we need food to eat and farmers to plant and cultivate, Brazil needs to diversify its economic portfolio and look more to R&D and technology. The country has been close to reaching it’s potential for greatness on myriad occasions, but it’s a country with a penchant for putting all its eggs in one basket. Any minor trip that affects that one sector or commodity produces disasters results as the centuries here have highlighted. The famous phrase: “Brazil is the country of the future, and always will be” was born from such historical close calls and fumbles.

But again, even with an expanded portfolio all we’re really celebrating here is that there is a few in the country getting extremely rich while for the rest of us, relatively little has changed. I guess the fact that nothing has really gotten worse for people financially, especially after decades of hyperinflation should be seen as an achievement. There is talk of a burgeoning middle class but it is still horribly eclipsed by the endemic poverty that plagues this nation. The president triumphantly bellows that millions are being lifted from poverty, and to ignore a marginal improvement here would be suspect. That said, with 50% of the nation, approximately 80 million people, living on slightly 2 dollars a day, I’d not want to stick my neck out and say “we’re winning the war on poverty”. When you figure you have this level of poverty in a nation that has more personal helicopters than any other and then you get to see the problem a bit more clearly. Brazil is only second to South Africa in term of income inequality.

Education is still in dire straights and academically Brazil, year after year, places in the lowest levels of international results when tested on the basics: literacy, math and science. Simple conversations with your more impoverished will provide you with anecdotal proof. For President Lula this is OK. He too is a simple man who uses simple logic and simple language; it’s his bailiwick as it is with most populists in this part of the world. “Stupid is those who didn’t think I can run a country” is a recent line of his which aptly reinforces my point.

Violence in the nation is on the rise (with the exception of Sao Paulo, where it is in fact getting marginally better) although the media is more infatuate with banality like throughout the rest of the world. In a country where over 40,000 are killed each year and in cities such as Rio where the young are 8 times more likely to be killed than in the Gaza strip in Palestine, this should be the Media’s war cry. There are respected news weeklies that do their best (readership is low, not surprisingly), but they are shunned by the President, politicians and by the masses because they “only focus on the negative”. Lula has long proven to be thin-skinned in terms of bad media coverage about Brazil or about him. He once personally tried to expel a New York Times reporter from Brazil because the journalist had the audacity to repeat what the national media was saying: Lula likes to drink. Not quite the "Watergateesque" revelation you'd think would shake and move the highest office in the land to act, but that's Brazil for you.

This may not last long. The government wishes to place greater restrictions on the media here as well as control the movement of foreigners in 61% of the Nation: the Amazon. International television, too, is in the government’s radar to reign in. As more and more celebrate the supposed new birth of a rich and prosperous land few are questioning the erosion of their personal rights and the rights of others. In fact in a recent poll about the restriction of foreigners in the Amazon, 97 percent of those responded actually agreed with the blatantly xenophobic and discriminatory move.

Arguably, with a better economy the rest of the problems I raised should solve themselves. So say “invisible hand” theorists. But this is Brazil. As long as corruption is allowed to continue without leaders (let me emphasis that LEADERS) being punished, and the rich continue to do what they like with impunity, we’ll just see more Brazilian flags on Yachts in Europe and not much of a difference made here back home.

I don’t want this to come across as a blatantly bitter attack on the country in which I currently reside (although I am thinking about making a move). I do cheer for the nation and I do have hopes and aspirations like others that Brazil can overcome some of its greatest hurtles and emerge more equitable, less violent, less corrupt and just a little bit smarter but..but…but…

I am happy to see some good news in the papers about Brazil for a change, I just wish I could see it here where it counts.

I'll write again on some of the things I cherish in the nation, soonest. Many in North America, regardless of some of the problems that Brazil faces, could learn a lot from this culture.

It's not nipplegate, but....

2008-05-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

These are the moments I find interesting in Brazil. While North America watched in disgust as Governor Eliot Spitzer’s political career spiraled into disgrace and oblivion, and the MSM was tailing the young -- and apparently costly -- professional sextrade worker Ashley Dupre that dallied with Eli, few paid but scant attention to the women who orchestrated much of Dupre’s work and literally signed Spitzer’s fate.

A Brazilian prostitute turned Madam named Andréia Schwartz was in the thick of the scandal and apparently following her cooperation with authorities was promptly escorted out of the US to her native Brazil. Although either ignored or shunned by the North American press, upon her return here, she was received with a hero’s welcome. OK, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but for the Brazilian media she was more apropos to the story than the stunning Girls Gone Wild Dupre, and when Andréia’s plane touched down in Sambalandia she was swarmed by a gaggle of paparazzi that would have made Paris Hilton blush with envy.

As with what usually happens when any young attractive women in Brazil makes news for whatever reason, they later appear in Playboy or some other gentleman’s weekly for the nation to ogle over. Our Miss Schwartz has certainly been making the rounds. Here she is yet again, and interestingly enough she is now being introduced as "the Brazilian MODEL". Talk about vocational euphemisms.

A hero is made

2008-05-02T11:27:00.001-07:00

Domingo Silva may lose his job, and back home its quite possible that nationalist libertarians will slaughter him in editorials for bringing dishonor to his nation, but he's one more hero in my book. Few on this planet are willing to stick their neck out so far for something like this. Hats off to you sir, I'd break bread with you any time.

Farra do Boi - First the bull, then who ever crosses them!

2008-03-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated...”

-- Mahatma Gandhi

Given Gandhi’s quip, this weekend’s “farra do boi” (or party of the oxen) will prove yet again that in terms of morality, many in Brazil still lag centuries behind much of the world.

Farra do boi is one of those archaic, justified under the banner of culture and tradition, events of barbarity and savagery that would make the seal hunters of Canada look like PETA volunteers.

Here’s what some in Brazil consider a good time. For weeks, local fisherman and community members from various small villages throughout Santa Catarina lock up an ox, starve it for days, usually with food just in view in an attempt to drive the animal insane and then unleash an unimaginable night of horror unto the poor creature. On the night of the “party” (usually during the Easter weekend – my how Jesus must be impressed) villagers shove broken glass up the creatures’ anuses, cut their tails off, light them on fire and break their legs; this is just a few of the shuddering things inflicted on the bull throughout the course of an evening. In the end, the ox usually ends up being driven into the sea and left for dead; the drunken revelers then go home and bask in their night of brutality.

“Farristas” as they are called, or “knuckle draggers” as I refer to them argue this is “all in good fun”, and of course use the mother of all scapegoats citing that, “it’s all about preserving Azorean culture” like culture is some sort of static concept that trumps all.

Santa Catarina was mostly populated with people from the islands of Azores where this ritual or torture supposedly originates. There is some controversy as to whether or not today’s farra do boi even remotely resembles anything from the islands, however conveying that to the toothless troglodytes that participate in it here is an exercise in futility, and could have you end up dead.

To the Federal Government’s credit, Farra do boi was made illegal in 1998 under Law 9605, however the State government thumbs its nose at the federal authorities and still refuses to officially acknowledge this “tradition” as being a “crime”. Governors have openly defended the blood-sport and this gives community members the impetus to “fight for their culture”. Some communities, Governador Celso Ramos for example, have renamed the event “Brincadeira do boi” or “playing with the bull” in the hopes that sweetening the name will somehow magically distill the cruelty and idignation.

Some progress is being made, and with more and more “outsiders” (and by this I mean people from other regions in Brazil) moving to Santa Catarina, there is less and less tolerance for out and out barbarity.

Many of those participating in Farra do boi – as it has been commented -- are actually using the bull and this tradition as an excuse to exercise cruelty over fellow human beings. It’s often been said that animal cruelty is a pathway to violence against people.

When and if Police are called to stop an episode of farra do boi (as required by law) the community and those participating turn on them. Every year the papers are filled with violent clashes between those participating and those appalled; few if any are ever prosecuted and so each year the army of blood thirsty thugs grows.

I had the not so great pleasure of finding myself trying to protect a women who had placed herself between the bull and the community last year. Although my concern was not over the bull but over the women’s safety which was obviously in jeopardy, I was still mobbed, brutalized and beaten for "interfering". Hit from behind, like most cowards tend to do. Actually, when it was clear that I was a “foreigner” the beating intensified (I’ve not talked about Brazil’s blatant xenophobia, but will in another blog).

A knife was wielded, and I am certain that if the police had not arrived in time, I’d be just another body in Brazil’s 50,000 plus annual murder stat. I wasn’t asked to file a report or make a complaint. The cop only ordered me into a car and out of the region for my own safety. Imagine this happening on a main tourism street in Canada? Yes, we’re not in Kansas anymore Toto!

Farra do boi will continue. Many in Brazil (I mean LOTS) have a tendency to cling blindly to meaningless rituals and participate in pointless violence. Let’s see if I’ll survive another Easter here.

Al Gore is a poopy pants, so global warming is a hoax?

2008-03-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

Lorrie Goldstein from the Toronto Sun is off on yet another rant. Although appalled at the appearant “hysterics” employed by those who accept what a preponderance of the world’s leading scientists have to say about global warming, Mr.Goldstein seems quite comfortable applying those very same child-like “hysterics” he professes to abhor so much. Me thinks one of the Sun’s most prominent tabloid news peddlers should look up “hypocrite” the next time he decides to pop a synapse and go off on yet another anti-environmentalist bender.

“If your neighbour is a charter member of the Al Gore Nation, today would probably be a bad time to ask him how he's been enjoying shovelling all that "global warming" out of his driveway this winter.

Charter member of the Al Gore Nation? That was certainly clever. Can we lose the Al Gore thing now? It’s getting rather stale.

Trust me, climate hysterics (anyone who accuses others of being "climate deniers") do not like being mocked [my italics].”

SHOCKER! Stop the presses!

Who actually likes being MOCKED? And how does mocking people concerned with the future well-being of this planet add to any meaningful dialogue on climate change and what should be done?

That’s what Mr. Goldstein fails to recognise and that is why certain indivuals are getting a tad frustrated about having to deal with such adolescent behaviour. It is an issue that could affect the lives of billions of the planet, and mocking (which is what a majority of climate change “denialists” do) adds absolutely nothing to the discussion. It only highlights the level of maturity we need to put up with daily.

Lorrie may enjoy the antics of the class-clown at the back of the room, but the rest of us would like to get on with this very important lesson plan. Voicing a concern is one thing and skepticism is one of the hallmarks of science. However, placing your hand to your mouth, blowing and making a "farty sound" then giggling or constantly attacking Al Gore, is something quite different and is rightfully not tolerated by those who don´t suffer fools lightly.

He does save some face here:

Finally, there are many things we can all do to help the environment and lower our reliance on fossil fuels, good ideas regardless of your views on global warming.
Don't buy a bigger house than you need. Don't drive a more powerful car (or buy more cars) than you need. Cut down on flying. Vacation closer to home. Take public transit more often. When possible, buy domestic instead of foreign produce and manufactured goods. Eat less meat, more fruits and vegetables. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

Now if he can just get to this point without some cheap pot shot at Al Gore, or Mocking those he doesn´t like, he would actually be contributing something meaningful.

A climate change conference few talk about, and rightly so..

2008-03-06T04:54:00.000-08:00

The Heartland Institute’s 2008 International Conference on Climate Change that ended this week in New York has been called everything from “denial-a-palooza” (desmoglbog) to “the Skeptic’s Conference” (various media). The conference was organized to bring together some of the world’s leading climate change cynics (retired scientists and reported industry shills) to show the world that the debate over anthropogenic climate change is far from over. Although failing miserably to achieve this, the conference did unwittingly prove that those from the denial industry are not only a fringe group of tin foil hat wearing nutters, politically and ideologically motivated, but that their nonsensical ramblings and accusations of conspiracies and character assassination attempts are in fact heavily funded by wealthy right-wing organizations.

I’ve mentioned before that the issue of climate change only really stuck in the craw of many when Al Gore’s traveling side show on global warming hit the big screen in a documentary called “An Inconvenient Truth”. Those to the right of the political spectrum had puppies that an environmental issue had risen to such prominence; and come hell or high water they were going to retake their libertarian “let’s pollute like we want” moral low ground. So the gloves came off, and they´ve done everything possible to re-label the phenomenon. What was once “Anthropogenic Global Warming” would now be considered “Al Gore’s Global Warming” (that would be the easiest way of amassing an army of right wing ignoramuses over night) and appearantly the conference went on a lengths to reinforce this cheap tawdry tactic.

Here’s a great article by the Wall Street Journal about what I’ve been on about for some time…

Gored: Why Skeptics Need AlPosted by Keith Johnson

I’ve long given up reading anything that starts with or inlcudes “Al Gore’s" global warming. You just KNOW these folks can’t separate their hatred of liberals/democrats from objective reason, and will simply wallow in their political enmity, unconcerned with science and equally unconcerned with the environmental consequences of ignoring science, solely to score points for the conservative mindset. Bloggers eat it up... here´s an example

I am still trying to get over Al Gore “scoring” a Nobel award over a dumb
home-made flick. This goes to show how much “spin” there is in all of these “end
of the world” studies…Comment by Alternate Reality - March 3, 2008 at 1:36
pm

However the use of character assassination/hate by association tactics as well as the blatant dismissal and demonization of science have proven pretty useless for coercing much of the “main stream media” and the public into “seeing the truth about the global warming hoax”. This was one of the reasons climate "cynics" attempted to create the illusion of a scientific conference; to sway media to their camp. When it was not attended by the mainstream media, or at least not covered to their liking, it was decided that the “mainstream media” is part of the great conspiracy, too.

When cynics feel ignored, or isolated in view by the MSM, they argue it’s further proof to liberal media collusion or themainstream media getting in wrong. It's the typical Bill O’Rielly rant. (Although, I´ve never EVER understood how fox news can be one of the highest rated cable networks, yet they don´t consider themselves mainstream news? And remember, those thinking that 9/11 was an inside job ALSO think the mainstream news was part of a cover up).

Having been a reporter (long, long ago and in a galaxy far far away) and currently a fim maker I am well aware of the pressures for balance in reporting (and the denialists USE this journalistic tenet constantly to manipulate people and journalists), however when you have over 30,000 scientifically peer reviewed papers, backed up by literally thousands of the world’s “current leading” scientists on climate change on one hand, and on the other hand you have maybe one or two scientific papers (although heavily debunked) a handful of retired cynical scientists paid for by a who´s who of right wing think tanks then there comes a point when journalism is not just about presenting a nice little “he said she said” package, but is actually about getting to the heart on an issue and simply reporting the truth.

2008-03-03T13:00:00.000-08:00

It’s moments like this I’m truly proud to be Canadian. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a chest pounding rabid nationalist that throws his fists up the moment a comment or criticism is raised about the motherland, nor do I wander the globe complaining about my home. I’m simply proud that I was born and raised in a Nation that, although some may argue and bicker with the details here, takes issues pertaining to political corruption seriously.

I’m rather enjoying all the noise made over Tom Zytaruk’s book and allegations that the late MP Chuck Cadman was somehow bribed, or an attempt was made to bribe him. I spent a couple of hours lurking in the background of a few political forums, taking in the humorous but sad assortment of “political cheer leading” that usually goes on by folks who treat politics like a high school football game. You know the type; they route for their “team” regardless of what happens in the field and spend a disproportionate amount of time trash-talking their opponents as opposed to engaging in issues. Still, the Cadman affair seems to be a hot topic across the board.

As I read the details of this supposed scandal, and watched it blaze across the Canadian media I was given a sense of pride because of just how trivial and banal the allegation was. Don´t get me wrong, it needs to be ferreted out, no matter how small (corruption can not be tolerated nor a flase allegation of corruption) that´s why I´m proud. Because in Canada this type of corruption, or accusation, is not very common and when it is raised it is treated seriously.

Here in Brazil, you literally (and I’m not exaggerating here) cannot open up a daily newspaper or weekly magazine without reading about a new scandal. Corruption in Brazil is as engrained in politics as tattoo ink is in one’s skin. There is no escaping it, whether at the Federal, State or Municipal levels, whether corporate or public. It’s a nation awash in corruption and dirty dealings and worse of all, it’s basically accepted.

The current scandal in Canada is based on a bribe allegedly made to an MP in return for a vote. Here in Brazil, suitcases containing 20,000 dollars were routinely given to party members in return for their support on certain issues. It was called the Mensalão, or ‘Big monthly” in English. This, being one of the largest scandals to affect the nation in recent times did end with the impeachment of the president’s right hand man, José Dirceu (although the President knew nothing.. ahem).

Politicians have cleverly over the years designed laws to protect themselves from punishment for any crimes they may commit. With a secret vote (of course), Dirceu was surprisingly impeached meaning he can’t “officially” play politics for 8 years. No jail time, no fines, no community services; just a “go away for a while” sneer. But this being Brazil, of course he’s still well entrenched behind the scenes.

Corruption is allowed to flourish in Brazil because of impunity mixed with a generally short national affair's attention span and rampant apathy. In other words: there´s too much to keep track of, no one will be charged, why bother?"

One of Brazil’s most famous political thieves is a man named Paulo Maluf, who has apparently been charged over 40 times with scandals involving billions of dollars (that´s billllllliooooonnnsss), but he always manages to make his way back into politics. He’s been Sao Paulo’s mayor (Sao Paulo being one of the world´s largest cities), the State of SP's Governor and was rumored to have run on a platform that boasted “I may be a thief, but I get the job done”. He’s now a federal deputy, of course.

I could fill this blog with a million stories that would make your average Canadian’s head spin, but that is not my objective. I opened up the internet today and saw a series of articles on a tiny scandal in Canada, that will be analyzed and debated more than the IPCC´s 4th assessment, and we probably won’t hear about another political scandal in the Great White North for some time to come. It’s moments like these that I pine to live again in Canada when you know those working on your behalf are still "politicians" with all that word connotes, but honest ones at least. Maybe one day, we´ll move back.

Oh, but those winters!

It’s ANOTHER conspiracy!

2008-03-03T07:30:00.000-08:00

The Bilderbergs are the puppet masters, damn it. No, it’s the Illuminati! No it’s “Dr. Eeeeeeeeevil”! No, it’s Al Goracle and environmental movement that want American, no Amazon, no Canadian riches! Ahhhhh.

I’m certainly amazed at how folks keep all their global warming conspiracies straight with black helicopters chasing them everywhere. However, although there are, to quote Dr. Evil “a bajillion” nutter theories and crackpot rumors, as diverse as they are perverse, circulating the net at any given minute, one of the hallmarks almost all of them share is that they prey on the fears of nationalists.

In Brazil, 75% of Brazilians think there is some sinister plot afoot by the world to “Internationalize the Amazon”. Brazil has suffered from this national psychosis for eons, but of course the new version of the theory has ecologists and environmentalists working as the ‘shock troops” for European and US interests. It’s the job of environmentalists to protect the forest, so that international interests can exploit them at a later time. Climate change and international concerns over the planet’s future health, is seen by many recently, as just a smoke screen with the aim of limiting Brazil’s growth as a nation and, of course, steal the Amazon.

In the US, global warming is not only being argued a hoax but a cleverly concocted plot with the collusion of thousands of scientists and socialists (pulled-off by one man who could not even get elected in 2000) to wrestle away American freedoms and liberties, and profit immensely by doing so.

This vid/conspiracy theory called Global Warming or Global Governance would be a belly buster if it were not believed by so many people! In a nutshell is posits that global warming is a conspiracy to usurp American sovereignty, or as Congressman Don Young from Alaska in the video warns:

“The environment is being used to make a one world government. This is a wake up call. We’re waging war against those that want to destroy the great United States.”

Environmentalists I reckon are “those” from the Congressman’s rant and are now the new planetary bogeymen. You know what inevitably happens when you have a villain and the threat over national security and sovereignty?

It probably won’t be too far off in the future that the US will start having some form of witch-hunt like in the good ole days of Joey McCarthy. They’ve already had congressional committee meetings in Brazil regarding nongovernmental movements in the Amazon, and I doubt we’ve seen the last of them.

Conspiracy and concern?

2008-02-28T04:15:00.000-08:00

Is it time to break out the tin foil hats? Or should we be at least a tad concerned about the lack of public consultation?

For those on the ‘far side of crazy” this is just one more instrument being added (like the widely believed Nafta Super Highway) in the orchestration of the “New World Order” conducted by, well, the Bilderberg Group, or the Clube do 1001, the Illuminati, the Free Masons, the House of Windsor or, well, fill in your favorite global villain and secret society >-------HERE--------<.

Still, nutters aside, there is something a wee unnerving with Generals and Canadian Commanders signing a military Pac (called the Civil Assistance Plan) between two Nations without a least a discussion from politicians on either side of the boarder. Here’s the story and website that got me interested, but I found it here on a Canadian Government site, too.

Prior to the signing of NAFTA in 1994, if you´ll remember, some politicians and most unions went ballistic over the movement of commodities across boarders without restrictions, but now there appears to be ZERO interest in tanks, soldiers and the most sophisticated weaponry known to man doing the same? [shudder]

The lack of debate (did anyone here about this?) may all be part of the continued lionization of our Military as of late, following the US lead. It’s a brash but effective way of manipulating the sentiments of the public. Wars maybe illegal, occupations maybe immoral, signing a military Pac with another nation without discussion from Parliament maybe undemocratic, and what was once a hunt for a terrorist has turned into a nation building failure without end, but you better not question any of it because then you wouldn’t be "supporting our troops” and hence, “you’re not a patriot”. End of debate.

With such a stong emotional phenomenon like this why even try to debate?

Well, although I don´t fall easily as prey to conspiracy theories and I don´t think that is all part of some sinister global plot as some inevitably will, I did feel it was worth mentioning that Canada has a rather increasinlgy unhealthy love for its military fed by a rather annouyingly secretive Tory Government. There´s nothing wrong with respecting those whose job it is to "project the nation", just like I repsect the police, firemen, Doctors, scientists and environmentalists that work to protect the planet, but to give them unfettered and unrestricted licence to do as they please, in secrecy, and based on blind nationalistic emotion is just plain wrong and potentially very dangerous. If you look to the history of much of the world, especially in Latin America, Nation’s where armies were given carte blanche and allowed to accrue power and pen bilateral and multilateral deals sans public consultation usual don’t stop there. And yes, as history has also proven time and time again in these instances, like what the Civil Assistance Plan purports, it’s always done with your best interest at heart.

Muuuhoooohaaaaahaaaaaa. Happy Thursday.

Government sends in the army

2008-02-26T03:47:00.000-08:00

It can get pretty nasty there, now the governmentis sending in the trooops. From the BBC:

"Some 160 Brazilian troops have been sent to the Amazon to join hundreds of police officers involved in efforts to tackle illegal deforestation.

The move follows clashes last week when local people and sawmill workers forced environmental officials out of the town of Tailandia in the state of Para."

More here from the BBC

A rant

2008-02-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest concerns from the far right over environmentalism is the belief that environmentalists appear to care MORE about the planet than people. Hence, their claims that environmentalism is just a neo-Malthusian dogma repackaged.

True, there is a great deal of concern over the carry capacity of this planet and the obvious statistical fact that while we’ve added 3 billion people to the planet over the last 50 years, we’ve also drained, chopped, poisoned and decimated an incalculable amount of “non renewable” resources. That’s NON RENEWABLE just for emphasis. Still, I don’t know how by pointing out the obvious suddenly we’re all misanthropes?

All indications are that we will continue down this path until and as Malthusian theory did actually posit, (as did Paul Eurlich and the Club of Rome) that, not so far off in the future, there will come a time when scarcities and pollution will leave a great deal of misery and suffering the world over. It will catch up to us. We’re already fighting illegal wars over dwindling oil deposits so the suffering, arguably, has begun. Still, Iraq pales in comparison with what some ecologists, economists and scientists predict. Remember the British economist Sir Nicholas Stern’s dire prognosis for the global economy if climate change is not addressed immediately?

So, from an environmental point of view it make good sense that we, with civility and rationality (while maintaining some scepticism but eliminating cynicism), roll up our sleeves and address some of the greatest challenges facing the planet today such as deforestation, climate change, the plunder of the seas, pollution and species extinction, and make logical and intelligent decisions through diplomatic and democratic processes to ease humanity’s ride, with a minimal amount of suffering as possible (that means economically too), through the 21st century. This is the environmentalism that I know and cling too.

Those to the far right wish to adopt the wait and see approach, or as they call it the: “fudge off you freaking pinko-commies” approach. Actually, I feel comfortable arguing that they’ve moved passed the head in the sand methodology and are now actively and aggressively engaged in trying to silence and belittle anyone who actually cares about the future condition this planet will inevitably arrive. And by doing so they are placing humanity in much greater peril.

And they complain that Environmentalists hate people?

2008-02-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

OK, if you don´t believe me than maybe you´ll believe the Ranting Gryphon then?

2008-02-01T06:46:00.000-08:00

“Environment Canada scientists told to toe the line”

Environment Canada has "muzzled" its scientists, ordering them to refer all media queries to Ottawa where communications officers will help them respond with "approved lines."Well, where have we seen this before? I’ll remind you.

That’s right folks, if it looks familiar that’s because it was done a few years back, and south of the border. It is a tactic borrowed straight from the US Republican’s playbook “Why I hate scientists and how they interfere with my friend’s profits”. There actually WAS a book published on the subject called the Republican’s War on science, not that many have read it I imagine given the dearth of Britney Spear's anecdotes. Groan.

Here’s a 60 minutes piece talking about the Bush government’s successes at muzzling scientists. I urge everyone to watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0i4Sx1edJE

This is exactly what the conservative party is now doing in Canada, and everyone will be less informed as a result.

Ironically, the piece on 60 minutes ends with a mention that one of Bush’s science advisors Phil Cooney (who was the Chief of staff of the Council on environmental Quality and responsible for editing and burying scientific findings as well as ignoring scientist’s fears) is now working for (DRUM ROLE PLEASE) Exxon Mobile. Today, Exxon Mobile has posted the largest annual profit by any U.S. company EVER: that’s 41 BILLION dollars folks. Nice work for simply trashing the planet’s climate and lying to the public. Oh, what a wonderful world we have.

Amazon destruction on the rise!

2008-01-25T06:07:00.000-08:00

We predicted this last Oct in a video I produced for Greenpeace on the effects of forest fires in the Amazon and climate change. After two years of the government boasting a drop in the level of Amazon destruction, last oct. we met with and interviewed a powerful farmer in the region that literally BRAGGED that the destruction was on the rise yet again, and the government wouldn´t be able to do anything to stop it. Yesterday, the government admitted that this was indeed true. For any that has been following my career and life over the last 10 years, you'll know that I’ve spent a lot of time in the Amazon region working with environmental groups and almost exclusively with Greenpeace. You cannot knock the work these dedicated eco warriors have done in the region, but given the Amazon is the size of Western Europe, 80% of the destruction is illegal and that those doing the destroying would just as easily shoot you as talk to you, there is still a very real worry as to the future of this forest!

By the way, in this article by Tom Philip from the UK´s Guardian, I was one of the activists he traveled with last year, shortly after being expelled from one of the towns that the Brazilian governments points to as being part of the porblem in the Amazon.

The Ranting Gryphon - America

2008-01-23T07:26:00.000-08:00

This is sure to go down as a classic!

Science and climate change under attack from the usual suspects and more

2008-01-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

If humanity is not ‘natural’ then who are we and why are here? One obvious answer is we were put here by a greater being, a God. But the entire essence of Darwin’s theory is that there is no God as Darwin was a professed atheist. This debate is actually part of the entire question of environmentalism[...]
-- Tim Ball

Here’s an interesting diatribe penned by climate change denilaists Tim Ball and Tom Harris, both self professed anthropogenic global warming (AGW) “skeptics” (cough cough), and both allegedly on various oil company pay roles. Other than the blatant attack on environmentalists and environmentalism (although no where in the article does he define what he means by environmentalism), this article sheds a new light in regards to what is really at stake for some of your more fervent cynics, and why they have amassed such an unrelenting army of ignoramuses.

As many know, recent debates over climate change have taken on a fairly caustic and often war like atmosphere. Cynics (not scientists) have crept out of the woodworks. Just a decade ago none of these “truth warriors” could pronounce climate change and now are all self-proclaimed global warming experts. They are relentless, mean spirited (dedicated to epithets and quirky insulting one-liners like “alarmists”, “eco communists”, green garbage etc.) and often quite violent in their proclamations. On the CKA (Canadakicksass forum ) one poster even asks for environmentalists to commit suicide en mass to show our commitment to nature. Yes folks, this is the level of discussion at times.

So we know that dealing with this ilk of sophistication and having any type of meaningful dialogue on the subject is a Sisyphean task. I’ve often mentioned that the issue was politicized given Al Gore’s film (hate by association), and of course funding from various corporate entities that have oil profits at stake, but Tim and Tom’s articles gives us one more ingredient in the ideation of the denialists. Now, I understand why it is the perfect storm of controversy on the blogosphere: Politics, Corporate greed, and now RELIGION! And it was this paragraph in their article that set me off.

The current western view of the World essentially evolved from the Darwinian view. Even though it is still just a theory and not a law 148 years after it was first proposed, Darwinian evolution is the only view allowed in schools. Why?

There are two extremely important facts to bring up with this one paragraph. For starters, and you hear this questioned time and time again by laymen is that for some reason after years and years of research evolution still doesn’t stack up scientifically and why isn’t it a scientific law if it does? This exposes a gross over simplifications of the scientific process and, dare I say, highlights a blatant ignorance on the part of those who seem to think that in science there is a formal ascendancy from scientific theory to scientific law. There’s not. And anyone claiming to be a climatologist (or any scientist for that matter) as Tim Ball does should actually know this.

Secondly, to answer Ball’s question at the end; Darwinian evolution is only allowed in SCIENCE and BIOLOGY classes because it is the only scientific theory that adequately explains the development of species over hundreds of millions of years. Until another theory is developed, Darwin’s evolution is it. But for the religious, it is not so cut and dried. They wish to see CREATIONISM taught as a science. nd this is behind Ball´s line. It is a long standing debate that goes back well before the Scopes trials and I´ve always been at a loss to understand why certain groups feel so threatened with ONE theory (evolution) taught in ONE class, when they have entire schools (think the Catholic school board) dedicated to teachings of "the creator did it all".

Attempts were recently made by Christian groups to have ‘Intelligent Design” forced into science classrooms and biology text books, but those attempts inevitable, and thankfully, failed. Take a look here and watch Ken Miller, a biology professor and CATHOLIC, rip ID proponents a new one. (This video is not recommended for the chronically fidgety or other sound byte warriors. It´s close to two hours of one man speaking. No special effects and no sound tracks. )

So what does this all mean? Well, Tim Ball and Tom Harris -- two ardent climate change denialists -- are on a mission to demonize not only the science of climate change and its proponents, but now, as we see here, they are in fact actually setting out to demonize the very field of science itself and using the "Good Book" as their trump card.

The last century or so has given us the age of scientific enlightenment, and yet there are crusaders, in science sheep’s clothing no less, attempting to undermine hundreds of years of scientific inquiry and send us back to the dark ages.

It is common knowledge that the right wing Conservatives have a vested interest in sewing doubt, or dismissing climate change outright (although you won´t find ONE repubilcan candidate to say this openly) . They are the energy stock holders, they are the oil barons and they feel they stand to loose the most if the world takes tackling global warming seriously (poppycocks). Partisan political hacks too see this as an “Al Gore issue” (and hence a THEM issue) and now they are being joined by religious fundamentalists in the cause, not necessarily out of unsubstantiated fears of profit losses or a dedication to a political party, but out of the fear that religion is starting to lose its centuries old-toe hold on society as more and more question the “devine” and place more faith in the scientifically explainable.

We live in scary times.

2008-01-22T07:14:00.000-08:00

Oscar announcements today, and while every entertainment sage as well as other media panjandrums across the globe rush to the microphones to give their picayune evaluation on best actors, actresses, films and scripts, I thought I’d highlight the lesser discussed category of best Documentary in long form (given you won’t find much on this with mainstream media).
Last year, if you will remember (or maybe not), the film highlighting Al Gore’s traveling slide show on climate change (An Inconvienient Truth) won best doco. This year, I was kind of hoping the Canadian documentary Sharkwater would get the nomination nod, believing that Green Films were still kind of chic in this day and age of Gaia´s awakening. As well, and more importantly for film makers, Sharkwater has taken the documentary circuit by storm winning literally dozens of prestigious awards.

Well, twas not the case, however an interesting trend this year did develop and that is that all but one of the nominations is a damnation of the current US administration in one form or another (Yes, I meant the rhyme). Although environmentalism would find no place in the doco category this year, it is evident that the Academy is still cheering on advocates who see the need to sound the alarms. And that is what this category SHOULD be about; not some simple forum to celebrate frivolous entertainment, but an award’s category recognizing meaningful critiques of the world made by some of the planet’s most ardent social defenders.

Now, if we can only get more people to watch these brutally honest and at times rather terrifying exposés on America in the 21 century at war with others and at war with itself, then maybe, just maybe, more will wake up from this apathetic and fainéant slumber that that nation has been in for over 7 years.

Expect the right wing blogs to scream murder over the coming days.

Here´s the list of nominations and links to the trailers! Rent, learn and support!

1. Operation home coming - See the Trailer
2. Sicko - See the Trailer
3. War/ Dance - See the Trailer
4. Taxi to the Dark Side - See the Trailer
5. No end in site - See the Trailer

Censorship in the US.

2008-01-19T07:55:00.000-08:00

If you ever had that nagging feeling that the US was marching backwards in time seeking the glory days of the dark ages, this should clear up any doubts you may have. My only worry is that there is a well armed army of neysayers, partisan devotees, and ideological fundamentalists in Canada too, so keep on your toes. There is nothing wrong with debate, but when ideologies dictate curriculum, then it’s back to the dark ages we go.

Heros on the high seas

2008-01-17T06:48:00.000-08:00

There is a great high seas drama being played out in the southern oceans with the Sea Shepard Conservation Society and Greenpeace. Keep you eyes on this one folks. I’m just beaming with pride and honor knowing folks on both ships, although I don’t know the two whom are being held! Keep it up!

Linky poo

Whales and Heros!

2008-01-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, just an FYI, but an important one.

I know it’s the new year and everyone is still burning off the calories gained over the holidays, but I just wanted to say there are folks that gave up their holidays, gave up their time with families, and have given up a great deal of comfort to protest again Japan’s blatant savagery and murderous rampages against whales in Antarctica. The Greenpeace crew from the Esperanza has now found the Japanese killer fleet, and the Sea Shepard crew is probably not far behind. I know folks on both vessels and although there are differences between the two groups, and their tactics, I hope the common goal of stopping this absurd hunt is found. There is a BBC reporter on board Greenpeace’s ship, and his blog has been quite an interesting read. I urge all here to read it, and MORE importantly, I urge all to get involved by writing letters, making donations, or more. There is myriad ways you can help these fantastic protesters whom are probably dealing with insufferable conditions on the high seas to protect one of the Earth’s most magnificent mammals.

Remember, there is no debate over this issue. The Japanese are killing whales for their local market under the guise of “research”. Isn’t it time this ilk of 19th century savagery is put to rest?

Photo Credit: ©Greenpeace/ADavies

Affordable cars and killer taxes

2008-01-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

Well, India has the world a buzz after showcasing their new 2500 dollar car to accommodate the burgeoning lower-middle class in India. As an environmentalist, I’m of course a wee suspect and a tad worried over the prospect of an additional 300,000 drivers and carbon emitting machines, regardless of how good the mileage is. Still, I’d prefer one million of these than 10,000 HUMMERS. I digress.

However, I don’t want to comment on that. I found an interesting article in the Brazilian press about the car and what is being heralded as the most inexpensive car in the world. To my amsuement, if this CHEAP car was imported to Brazil (as calculated by local economists well versed in the retarded and suffocating taxes Brazil levies on imports), it would no longer be the cheapest car on Earth but a moderately price vehilce in Brazil. They’ve figured out that with all the taxes and placed on the car (Brazil has some of the strickest protectionist policies in place), what was worth 2500 dollars in India would cost 7500 dollars here. That´s without the resellers markup. Like I’ve said before: THEIVES, EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM! (the politicians, mind you). I´ve mentioned this on a number of occasions; when it comes to foreign products or foreigners in general, we’re fxxxed.

However, what caught my attention too was the throw away line offered by one of the economists stating that the emission's standards probably wouldn’t pass in Brazil. At this point, I passed an entire cup of coffee through my nose in a laughing fit that damn near shattered my ribs. This economist owes me a new keybopard. I’ve no doubt that ON PAPER Brazil requires emission standards probably equal to that of Canada or any other European Nation, however there is an imporant phrase in Brazil: “Pra Inglese ver”. Meaning, “for the English to see”. What that actually means is that we can put anything we’d like on paper or in a law, however, don’t worry about it and carry on as usual (nudge nudge wink wink, ya know whatamean). Brazil’s cities are plagued with some of the most polluting vehicles and buses I’ve ever seen, not to mention the particulates released from burning the Amazon that settle in small towns are 4 times greater than the exceptable health limit.

The Anthropocene Era - It has a ring to it, eh!

2008-01-08T06:35:00.000-08:00

I think it's the dream of many to have something significant named after them. What better way of leaving your mark on the world? Well now, let’s all reach around and give ourselves a collective pat on the back.

Given our penchant for ravaging nature, our love affair with greed and a well-formed disinformation campaign hell-bent on hindering environmental progress, Nobel laureate Paul J. Crutzen has come up with a new name for our current Epoch and he has named it after us. We’re well into what scientists now call the "Anthropocene" Era. Applause, applause; sadly, it couldn’t be more deserving.

ABC News

" Earth is rapidly moving into a less biologically diverse, less
forested, much warmer and probably wetter and stormier state."

I´m back Baby!

2008-01-08T06:08:00.000-08:00

Is Todd back to blogging? Well, maybe. I’ve got a spare few days now that the holidays have drawn to an end and visitors have all headed back to their respective cities/towns and couches. I was chastised about not blogging and equally scolded for not taking into account what a blog is suppose to be when I was blogging: short, succinct and more importantly FREQUENT. My attempts at scholastic tomes, written with intervals of months between them, apparently put most off. Such is life. So with a new year, and a renewed interested in communicating mindless ideas, rants, raves while butchering the English language beyond recognition (because ostensibly you CAN in a blog) I’m back baby! Or at least until I’m bored withitall and my ferret-like attention span is captured by some other meaningless and irrelevant pastime.

So on that note, let me wish everyone a belated happy holidays (I have nothing against Christmas, but I’d like to be more inclusive in my greetings) and a prosperous 2008. See you all soon!

Don´t let this ilk of language pass now, or it will be too late....

2007-08-31T05:35:00.000-07:00

Joe Warmington: Toronto Sun

I can’t help but shake my head it utter and total bewilderment at OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino´s comments regarding Greenpeace´s actions in Lake Erie. Are we sure that he is not some American Republican implant? The rhetoric he uses is plagiarized straight out of Georgey Bush’s personal book “How to wage useless Wars for Idiots”.

"This was dangerous," he (Fantino) said. "It's using young people and putting them at risk. It terrorized the people on the coal ship, put our officers in harm's way and put the very foundation of the province's power supply at risk."

Meu Deus do Ceu! Greenpeace has been doing this for 30 years! Pick up a newspaper Ju..

Love em or hate em, Greenpeace has won a significant number of environmental battles and have righted the wrongs of a plethora of issues affecting peoples the world over. Many owe a great deal of thanks to Greenpeace and their (for our Nationalistic blowhards out there) MADE IN CANADA tactics. Without them, our oceans would have probably been plundered to death (they are already close) we’d have no whales left (the largest and most majestic of creatures); UV rays would still be penetrating the Ozone layer and frying us (they still are but to a lesser degree), and the French and Yanks would be setting off atomic bombs whenever the urge struck. These are global issues; there are myriad local issues too that I’ve been personally involved in, like the demarcation of the Deni Indians territories (the Amazon) which prevented a large multinational logging company from decimating the indigenous group’s ancestral lands; and the creation of two large extractive reserve in the Amazon basin protecting an area of tropical forest larger than Belgium from destruction, as well as the local communities that use this forest.

From the article…

But this does not mean the investigation is over, Fantino said, adding that the planners and thinkers should be ashamed of themselves. "You won't find the main players out there on the water," he said. "Using and enticing young people to break the law is mercenary, and it is despicable."

I’ve worked, and continue to work at times (and no, I’m not some “kid” with marching orders from above as Fantino bellows) with Greenpeace around and the world and now in the Amazon. We were recently run out of a small town, by thugs and the local council (using a similar tone of political bafflegab as our Fantino) and low and behold, who was among us? None other than Paulo Adário. Not only is Paulo in his late 50s, but he has also been the recipient of numerous death threats over the years and must always stay on his toes when ever he travels. Paulo is also the coordinator of the Amazon Campaign. Every action I have ever participated in has involved EVERYONE. It is NOT a matter of sending out misguided kids to do the dirty work, but it is a form of protest practiced by ALL to get the message out, especially to complacent and synaptically numb people around the world (sorry, I hate to say it but especially in North America –), that some things need to change.

Fantino’s language and tactics are no less SPUN and orchestrated than the event Greenpeace staged. However, instead of creating a dialogue to highlight a larger societal problem, Fantino’s message is to demonize a group and equate their actions with that of “terrorists”. This is indeed a sad world we live in, and it is moments like this that I am happy to have left Canada behind.

I think the OPP commissioner could have used a more conciliatory and Canadian tone, as opposed to borrowing the chest-pounding, “therebe terrorists amongst us” verbal diarrhea we see flowing from the south.

P.S I’m currently in the AMAZON “terrorizing” trees for Greenpeace. Happy Julian?

Here’s (below) what we are up against in Brazil… and if Canadians continue to allow political fools to use inflammatory rhetoric, it won’t be too far off in the distant future where you’ll see the same ilk of brut-thuggery in Canada accepted too.

Ya gotta love Youtube!

2007-06-30T10:19:00.001-07:00

ARACHNOPHOBIA!

2007-05-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

Wiki’s 2 cents on Arachnophobia…

Arachnophobia is a specific phobia, an abnormal fear of spiders and sometimes other arachnids, such as scorpions and harvestmen. With an estimated half of all women, and one quarter of all men in the United States experiencing it in some degree, it is among the most common of phobias.

Well, bloody hell, it’s nice to know I’m not alone.

Living in the subtropics, we get our fair share of spiders, and snakes, and other crippy-crawly-thingys, too. I’m OK with most critters, but spiders? Forget it.

Just Saturday the wifey and I were out in the garden “weeding” (yes folkies, no chemicals here) when I stumbled across a few of the more common variety of spiders that the island sadly hosts. My girl-like shrieks always provide moments of amusement for Alice, and my exaggerations of how large the menacing beasts were, too, adds more fodder for her giggly-fits. Still, given the time I spend manicuring plants that grow as high and as fast as Jack’s magic bean stalk, I’ve grown accustomed, more or less, to the typical garden variety of spider (no, not those daddy-long legs ya get back home. We’re talking ugly Mofos). We’ve even found a few IN THE HOUSE. And there was a closet I refused to enter for weeks until I was presented with the remains (proof of its demise) of one of the larger garden varieties that preferred my tool box to its arrangement of rocks out by the pool.

However, I have the mother of all spider stories now.

With the rainy season upon us, I was out staining the deck so that it would survive another season of tropical storms, cyclones and maybe the odd hurricane (note: we’ve only had one hurricane for the record for the South Atlantic, but climatologists do warn that this may well change over the coming years. Regretfully, I digress). So, as I was bent over staining away, feeling like “Super Mr. Domestic Man” (cue orchestra score) when all of a sudden a visitor decided to brush up on my leg. With 3 cats and 5 dogs, I’m quite accustomed to feeling hairy things around my thighs or calves. However, I was not prepared for this.

It was a Tarantula.

Let me repeat that for all of those who suffer from Arachnophobia:
IT WAS A TARANTULA.

In my garden and at my home. Crikies! I knew we were in the sub-tropics, I’ve known for years about poisonous snakes, killer wasps and other nasty things to note… but … but….but….

Yuppers: Big, black, hairy and crawling right up my leg on a breezy cool autumn day in the sub-topics. Did I mention that this happened IN MY BACKYARD?

Following my faux coronary, and immediately after the grand-daddy of all high pitched sissy-wails, when I finally regained my composure and noticed the monster-like arachnid scurrying up the pathway towards the house where an open door apparently beaconed this harbinger of death, I leaped into action to snarl the wretched creature or at least thwart his attempts at entering our homestead (if he succeeded in entering and hiding, I’d be writing this from a hotel).

Using the swimming pool´s “thingy-ma-jiggy” I managed to startle it (not like it startled me, of course) but it did change directions and no longer posed a threat in terms of breaching the homes perimeters. Now, the only thing needed to be done was to get proof that this beast -- that this monster -- actually existed; that this life and death moment would not be chalked up and dismissed by the Mrs. as another “Todd Fabrication” or “Todd Exaggeration”. I needed a camera.

As to what happened later? I killed the bastard. I later looked it up on the net and found out that yes, there is a Black Brazilian Tarantula in this area of Brazil and in Uruguay, and as far as tarantulas go, it is apparently one of the more docile of the lot: hence, it’s enthusiasm in trying to befriend me. Poisonous yes, but there has never ever been a case involving death because of a tarantula bite. I guess I do feel a tad guilty killing such a large thing. I’m a “live and let live” type of bloke, BUT, well, damn: have a look! What would YOU do if you found this bastard crawling up your leg? Arachnophobes unite!

Weapons of Mass Defamation

2007-05-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

I know I said I was going to stand down from the climate change pulpit for a tad, however after reading Lorrie Goldstein’s blatantly fraudulent, and slanderous, rant on May 10^th ( Power plan dooms world's poor ), I couldn’t pass up on this opportunity to take to task one of the most inept journalists Toronto has on hand.

Climate deniers have lost the scientific debate. Anthropogenic climate as a theory is as real as evolution. Get use to it, and let’s move on. Sure, there will always be a small percentage of doubt (usually spawned for political or religious ends), but that’s science for you. Many who had denied climate change as a science have since, after weighing all the information, acquiesced and moved on. Other, more stubborn, deniers (those with an axe to grind or an oil paycheck to cash) simply changed their tactics and began fear mongering about the costs of climate mitigation. “Tackling climate change would cost the planet its economy!” would be the new war-cry from industry shrills and conservative think-tanks the world over (and the journalists that regurgitate such nonsense verbatim).

That too was recently blown out of the water. The third report from the IPCC stated that climate mitigation will cost 0.12% of the world’s gross domestic product. 0.12% of the world’s GDP works out to roughly 10$ per person (of the 6.2 billion living on earth) annually. This, of course, is a far cry from what those were saying when threatening a global recession and the end of the world.

Now that the hard-core deniers have run out of arguments; and the fear mongering about costs has been debunked, the only thing they have left in their debate arsenal is ad hominen attacks and of course conspiracies theories. The last ditch efforts of those on the loosing end of a fight.

Goldstein (one of the denier diehards) is now resorting to calling environmentalists “anti-human” by paraphrasing one of the biggest Wise-Use “guns for hire” the world has regrettably known: Patrick Moore. Moore is one of the founders of Greenpeace, turned “eco-Judas” and he’s handsomely paid to appear whenever there is a debate about ecology and industry needs someone with some “eco-cred” to cast doubt. No anti-eco editorial is printed without at least a small homage paid to Patrick Moore.

Just to give you an idea of this man’s audacity, Moore spent an astounding 2ish weeks in the Amazon in 2000 and concluded that the forest faced no real threats, which strangely went against everything scientists (that have been studying and living in the forest for decades) warn. Regardless, because of his “Greenpeace founder” title, whatever this loon says is usually gobbled up and cited as the gospel by hacks hell-bent on keeping the planet grimy.

Predictably, Lorrie also quotes sources from the film “the Great Global Warming Swindle”. This British film is currently being slammed by the scientific community, and even some of the interviewees that participated are now considering legal actions against the films producers for having their views horribly misrepresented. However, Goldstein finds no fault at all in using this as a “good source” to paint an image of the modern environmentalist as someone who while misguided in striving for a cleaner planet, is also unwittingly and in some cases willingly killing off millions in the developed world? Pullleeeessseeee

Citing more crackpots than you’d find on Queen St WestToronto during a full moon on a Saturday night, Goldstein’s editorial cleverly hints of a New World Ecological Order. His conspiracies and slander are designed to demonize a movement and anyone that participates. It’s no longer a healthy debate about the science or the cost; it has come down to school yard mud-slinging. However it is far more dangerous than that. His rants about environmentalists forgetting the poor in poor nations is just plain defamation and can paradoxically drain funding from groups directly involved in helping those Lorrie claims environmentalists ignore. I happen to be an environmentalist, and I happen to have spent the last 7 years of my life working in a developed country, along with the very communities that Goldstein argues we forget. When I see Mr. Goldstein here, in a developing nation, then I’ll buy his crocodile tears for the poor. Until then he’s just another bitter angry hack poisoning the minds of Sun readers believing that “business as usual” is beneficial to the world’s poor. Like the last 50 years isn’t blatant and obvious proof to the contrary.

We´re not in Kansas anymore Toto!

2007-05-08T05:01:00.000-07:00

There’s little point in writing about climate change, given it is all the rage and debate the world over -- yippy. I’ll only, briefly, mention that my latest documentary “Mudanças do clima, Mudanças de vidas” is heading to the “Festival do Gramado”, which is Brazil’s largest International Film Festival. There is still no word if the video will be accepted for competition; however the visibility of this event and having a film about climate change participate will further highlight this crucial issue.

So, I decided that this week, instead of complaining about the Toronto Sun’s coverage of climate change, I would describe a few of the absurdities that pass for day-to-day normalities in the land of Samba (lord help me).

I’m often asked in e-mails what it is like living in Brazil, and of course for the most part, the sun, beautiful ecology, culture and cheap beer have me respond “quite pleasant thank you”. However, there is a darker more surreal side to Brazil. A side that has me shake my head in utter and total bewilderment at times. So, I’ve decided to start jotting down some of the more prominent weekly absurdities for your reading pleasure. Make note of these for the next time you find yourself complaining about Toronto.

Civil war

“Bala perdida”, translated into English means “stray bullet”. It’s becoming a routine in Rio de Janeiro, a city amidst an undeclared civil war. As of today, 29 have been hit with “balas perdidas” in 6 days and a number of those hit were hit fatally (one I can recall was a 4 year old child). I must admit, I’m quite astonished with Brazil and the population’s habituation to violence. There are outbursts from people concerned when certain high-profile crimes get reported, but usually the day to day “4 dead” here “5 executed there” barely makes the news, and if it does few pay much attention to it.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a great deal of FEIGNED concern from the public over security, but it goes little beyond that. In a nation where over 45,000 are murdered each year (11% of all global homicides), and in the postcard city of Rio de Janeiro, where over 1300 murders have been registered since the beginning of this year, you would expect more than 300 people to show up to an anti-violence protest? Think again.

The penalty for corruption? Dinner with the Governor.

The governor of Santa Catarina offers dinner to businessman Fernando Marcondes de Mattos, owner of the Florianopolis resort Costão do Santinho only hours after he is released from prison charged with corruption. Fernando was one of two dozen extremely rich and powerful developers thrown in jail for an environmental license buying scheme – the Federal police claimed during their operation named “Green Coin” or “Moeda Verde”. The resort owner (by the way, there has been a long and persistent rumour as how Fernando received permission to build his resort in an ecologically sensitive part of the island) and 21 others including municipal councils, the secretary for the environment, the secretary for urban development, a judge (of course) and the president of Santur (Santa Catarina´s tourism agency) have all been accused by Federal police of corruption and purchasing illegal licenses from city officials to develop in ecologically protected areas. In the land of impunity most were be released from prison hours after the arrests, and some would even receive invitations to dine with the State Governor. An invitation like this from the state should send a clear message that corruption will not be tolerated! Doh!

More death and corruption: who´d have thunk it?

Reporters without Boarders always highlight Brazil as an area of concern for reporters, and rightly so. Just 3 nights ago, 37 year old Luiz Carlos Barbon Filho was gunned down outside of a bar in the interior of Sao Paulo. He was the journalist that 4 years ago exposed a scheme were private parties were held involving under-aged children, some as young as 11, that were drugged and forced into orgies and other sex acts with, get this, CITY COUNCILLORS and BUSINESS EXECTUIVES. Barbons broke the story of these despicable and disturbing parties that landed all involved in jail. Barbon was later nominated for the Esso prize in Journalism. But wait, there is more. ALL who were arrested, with the exception of a “mere” waiter, have been released (impunity?) and even one of the councilors convicted and sentence for pedophilia was RE ELECTED while serving his time! Only in Brazil you say?

You can’t make this stuff up folks, sometimes I feel I’m trapped in OZ only without Red shoes to tap together.

Is it time?

2007-03-02T03:24:00.002-08:00

Arriving just a few minutes late for a meeting in the Netherlands can provoke a fairly caustic reaction of disapproval. You’d be scolded that “the meeting was scheduled for noon, not 12:05” and reminded that by being late you were negatively impinging on the productivity of others. Time is money!

Here in Brazil (and much of south America) if you arrive five minutes late, you’ll find yourself alone for the better part of an hour.

“O horário Brasiliero”, (Brazilian time) as it if often called, takes a lot of getting use to and must be factored in when designing your day, any event, or, well, just about anything. I’m at the point where I believe that owning a watch here is futile. It looks nice on the arm, but it might as well be set to "Greenwich mean time" to be of any real use. The irony in all this is that most folks here honor the Braziilan inventor Santos Dumount for designing the first WRISTWATCH. But I digress.

However, some south of the equator have taken notice that this accepted praxis of tardiness is not very practical. Peru's President Alan Garcia has just kick-started a new program to have his countrymen (and women) pay more attention to time and try and break the habit of laxness that has plagued his nation.

One can only hope that our glorious leader Lula decides that "punctuality" is a concept that´s time is long overdue here in Brazil, too.

Life’s short, and sadly the good do die young.

2007-02-28T09:01:00.000-08:00

Flávio Cannalonga
1953 - 2007

A colleague and friend of mine passed away yesterday after a struggle with cancer.

I first met Flávio Cannalonga (centre in photo) in 2002 when we headed off together for a one month expedition to the Deni Lands in the south of Amazonas state. He was the photographer; I was the videographer for Greenpeace. Apart from being one of the funniest individuals I have ever had the pleasure of working with, Flávio also proved to be genuinely kind-hearted and passionate.

We would later work together again in the Jaurucu River blockade in Para.

Last time we chatted was during the São Paulo theater launch of my documentary “Soy: In the name of Progre$$”. He surprised me in the audience and gave me a huge congratulatory hug. I always considered Flávio, apart from being a photographer, to be part illusionist, too. He would materialize out of nowhere. I recall him appearing out of nowhere again in Curitiba during the UN sponsored Convention on Biodiversity. Although you´d never know when he would appear, there would be no mistaking when he was around because the atmosphere always felt charged.

Flávio (right) dressed to avoid the Puins (nasty insects)

Flávio was a brilliant photographer who not only captured heart-warming moments in life through photography, but given his pleasantness, humility and humor, those lucky enough to have had the opportunity to meet and interact with Flávio will always posses heart-warming moments through memories.

Here are a few links of some of his work.
1
2
3
4

Flávio, fui um grande prazer em conhecê-lo e obrigado pelo tudo!

Mudanças do clima, Mudanças de vidas

2007-02-13T10:40:00.000-08:00

Seals and Whales

2007-02-13T03:25:00.000-08:00

Seems Britain is miffed at Canada regarding the Seal Hunt, and of course the black-hearted in the Great White North are pounding their chests while striking typical nationalistic poses in dismay. Why are they surprised?!

Well my fellow Timbit eating compatriots, it’s not just Britain. Just about every nation on the planet shakes their head in disgust whenever the seal hunt is raised in discussions.

“But Canadians are suppose to be so polite, how can they do something so barbaric” is the usual line I encounter when traveling or here in Brazil.

And I have to agree. Having seen first hand how sealers treat activists and fellow humans, it is no wonder they can, without hesitation, smash the skull of a 3 week old harp seal with a club. It’s just plain sick. Spare me the whole “well you eat meat or wear leather” school yard rebuttals. The seal hunt was built on vanity, and continues today because of sheer ignorance and cultural retardation.

Still, your average Canadian doesn’t stray any further than Disney land, or maybe a quick jaunt over the pond for a romantic week in Europe (just to appear cultured at beer fests) so encountering this type of dismay and disbelief from folks abroad is probably unfamiliar to most. Be rest assured Canuckies, no one understands this massacre and rightly so. Justify it to yourselves all you like, subsidize it, resize it, and romanticize it, you are fooling no one.

While on the subject of nations slaughtering defenseless animals, seems that the Japanese are at it again in the Antarctica Whale Sanctuary. But unlike the justifications Canadians use for the seal hunt “well, ahh, duhh, uhmm, dey ate up all da Cod” the Japanese say all 850 whales killed this year will be for “Scientific purposes”. You hear similar cries of “the world doesn’t understand us or our culture” from the Japanese too. Poor babies.

Well, at least the whale hunt is being hindered. The Sea Shepherd Conservation society is on the case, and the newest addition to their fleet, the “Robert Lorne Hunter” along with the “Farley Mowat” are out there given them hell! Read for yourselves!

And, Congrats to Bobbi for bringing this distant drama to the streets of TO.

Greenpeace too is headed out!

So lets hope with Greenpeace and the Sea Shepherd chasing these murderous thugs throughout the southern oceans, fewer exploding harpoons will be fired! I know folks on all ships, and I´m routing fer ya all! The courage it takes to do what these individuals do is incredible, the conditions they suffer unbareable, yet they all are committed to it to stop an unthinkable crime!

For more on the whale hunt here's a great little piece.. from the BBC

You are what you read

2007-02-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

Well as the biggest climate change announcement this decade, and probably the most important this century, was made early morning in France it is interesting to note that every major daily (and I’m talking globally here) has picked up on the story with the exception of the TORONTO SUN which has decided that the birth of an overly large baby, a ground-hog predicting an early spring and a fatal car fire are more important.

No surprises here folks, the Sun has been on an anti climate change campaign since I can remember, and when you wonder where the army of neysayers in T.O get their marching orders, it’s tabloids like the SUN.

It´s in the report.

2007-02-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

Well the IPCC report is out, and it is pretty damn conclusive, and scary. Here it is for all to read.

I imagine the Toronto Sun and it’s legion of frathouse readers will still rant and rail against the facts, but remember kiddies, specious reasoning and argumentative fallacies don’t work against world reknown scientists from NASA and the IPCC. So all you naysayers, grab yourselves a beer, flick on pro wrestling and pray that with a growing intensity of storms the next tornado doesn’t flatten your trailer.

Al Gore, Nobel Peace Prize recipient?

Al Gore gets the nod for nomination for the upcoming Nobel Peace Prize! It’s been argued that Gore’s film "An Inconvenient Truth" was the catalyst for the rapid growth in environmental concern regarding Global Warming. Being a media whore and an environmental documentary director myself (who has produced 3 documentaries on climate change over the last 10 years) I can’t help but feel a sense of pride that the medium of documentaries can be so powerful, and I happen to agree that Gore deserves the acclamations for his tireless work in raising the issue higher. However, it usually takes more than a single spark to fire up a movement. For decades environmentalists (Canadian Shelia Watt Coultier also gets the prestigious nomination), environmental groups and scientists have been warning us and pushing the issue of climate change foreword, against all odds and obstacles. But if the truth be told, it was Mother Nature that focused the hearts and minds of our planet to an issue in urgent need of resolve. Unusual heat waves in Europe, record droughts and floods in South America and intensifying storms the world over; sadly it was these disastrous events that forced the public to finally take notice.

By the way the DVD Portuguese version of “An Inconvenient Truth” will be distributed by Paramount Pictures in May and will be packaged with the documentary I produced last year with Greenpeace entitled “Changes in climate, changes in Lives” an one hour look into how climate change is already affecting Brazil.

2007-01-24T04:29:00.000-08:00

When it comes to trying to find absurdities in the Canadian Press about climate change, you can always count on Lorrie Goldstein to provide the fodder. I’m amiss as to why Lorrie (or the Sun) is so hell-bent on trying to dismiss climate change, or wriggle Canada out of its obligations under the Kyoto protocol when the global scientific evidence is so conclusive and our personal daily anecdotal experiences far too frightening.

Lorrie begins his most recent attack on climate change like this: “Let's assume that Al Gore and, in our country, Stephane Dion, Jack Layton, and (very recently) Stephen Harper and John Baird are right.”

Maybe Lorrie should actually try talking with some scientists for a change such as Stephen Hawking, John Lovelock and one of Canada’s brightest, David Suzuki. The debate Lorrie is not whether or not these people are “right”, the debate has moved on much further down the line and is much more urgent. Please catch up. Sadly, in some circles such as the insurance industry and in developing nations the discussion has moved on to “costs” and “adaptation”. But we know how the Sun feels about “3rd World Nations” (a pejorative term the Sun used recently in editorial warning Canadians not to travel to Mexico), so why should THEY be a concern, eh?

Of course to be fair Lorrie’s rant is not about tossing more doubt one of the most pressing issues to face our planet (finally). He posits “if it is real” then Nuclear Energy will be the planet’s savior. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Although you will find some scientists in favour of promoting nuclear energy as THE clean alternative (surprisingly, Lovelock is a proponent), to date no one has created a safe method to transport and dispose of nuclear waste. We may narrowly dodge one bullet, but who is to say the next won’t find its mark?

Nuclear energy is also far too is costly both in terms of energy generation and as well in risk management. Don’t get me wrong, I think there should be some discussion in regards to what role nuclear energy could play alongside with other clean energy systems such as solar, wind, hydrogen and biomass, but try convincing the US of that when other nations around the world wish to build reactors. Iran anyone?

One final thing to keep in mind is that the nuclear industry is currently -- frantically -- SPINNING itself as the world’s sole solution to climate change. After decades of losing ground and loosing mountains of money, they see climate change as a marketing tool and have legions of communication specialists spoon-feeding scientific gibberish to easily manipulated journalists, so that they too may pen an article as factually incorrect as Lorrie’s.

I love this line from Lorrie’s article “Because they [politicians] know that even though nuclear power is our ONLY [my capitals] chance […]”

What a load of spoon fed crock!

www.nirs.org

One a final note, while the Sun ponders whether “IF” climate change is “REAL” (although the subtle undercurrent to Lorrie’s editorial is that he is now falling in line, albeit reluctantly), today in the US, leading executives from some of the largest companies including but not limited too, BP (British Petroleum) America, DuPont, Caterpillar and General Electric are URGING George Bush to take serious measures in curbing CO2 gas emissions before it is too late. Yes, Lorrie, it is no longer just hippies and commie politicians that believe the sky is falling.

A bit of humor - and some news!

2007-01-23T02:58:00.000-08:00

Well, looks like I´m not the only one to notice that a fair share of Canadians have turned a blind eye to the problems associated with climate change - here's a clever little sardonic take on the matter. For those self-exiled to the island of ignorance, the sarcasm in this piece will soar far too high over their heads for the humor to be of any value.

One a personal note, the latest documentary I produced with Greenpeace about climate change in Brazil will now be distributed by Paramount Pictures and accompany the Brazilian DVD launch of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” in March. As well, over 500,000 high school text books will also be distributed next year with the DVD.

Well at least some get it...

2007-01-17T09:01:00.000-08:00

While the scientifically-challenged and cronically ill-informed among us debate whether or not world scientists are correct in their assessments over climate change, or ponder if leading global economists are actually "chicken little environmentalists", at least some in North America have their heads screwed on straight. Sadly, members of the FES (Flat Earth Society) will brush this off as another foofaraw. The alarm is ringing folks

From the BBC today

Climate resets 'Doomsday Clock'

2007-01-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

I’m always amazed at how some on this planet are well paid for keeping the already ill-informed perpetually ignorant. I’ve devised a new award for caustic coxcombs like this and or the organizations that harbor them: I call it the “Flat Earth Society Award" and it honors those -- like centuries ago -- that “refuse to accept the overwhelming and conclusive preponderance of scientific fact and continue to believe the easily refutable and absurd”. I give this first award to Lorrie Goldstein from the Toronto Sun, however given the recent vitriol attacks against environmentalists, and their best efforts to confuse and obfuscate the issue of global warming; maybe the entire paper merits this first prestigious honor.

Far be if for me to attack Goldstein’s article point for point. It is mostly conservative hyperbole and riddled with straw man attacks. Still:

“The Earth is 4.5 billion years old and has experienced many protracted periods of global warming and cooling that had nothing to do with human beings because we weren't yet alive.”

The scientific evidence is 90% CONCLUSIVE Lorrie. There is a global consensus (sure, there are a few rouge dissenting scientists) that since the industrial revolution the temperature has gone up (0.7 degrees Celsius) and has gone up in relation to the amount of CO2 placed into the troposphere (currently at 360 parts per million). There is nothing to argue here. You cannot discount anthropogenic influences, TODAY.

“Scientists say there have been near-extinctions of life on Earth five times because of climate change and other factors, the last one occurring about 65 million years ago.”

That is correct Lorrie, but what you are neglecting to mention is that TODAY, the world’s population is greater than 6 billion. Yes, the world has gone through all sorts of natural changes over the last 4.5 billion years; however there was never a civilization that could be affected. As well, there was never a civilization that could affect an environment.

What concerns scientists (you know, those folks with two or three PhDs working at NASA?) politicians (Tony Blair?), economists (Sir Nicholas Stern anyone?) and yes, even those evil little dungaree wearing anti-capitalist eco-terrorists today is that it is not ONLY the planet that is vulnerable to slight perturbations in the global mean temperature.

Notably, it is always poorer nations or poorer populations within nations that have the most to loose. This is something often forgotten by the rabid right chiming in from their lofty upper-middle class towers in comfy Toronto. Heaven forbid you give a second thought to a local farming community in the south of Brazil.

Climate skeptics are like dogs. They sink their teeth into what ever soft and fluffy little doubts they dig up, and refuse to release them until you smack them on the nose with hard solid facts. Goldstein predictably uncovers and chomps down on the question of global cooling.

“While there is widespread agreement the world is going through a sustained period of warming, from the 1940s to the 1970s we experienced a period of global cooling, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere. Back then, Time, Newsweek and others ran stories predicting a possible new ice age. Oops.”

Uhmm, the whole global cooling phenomenon was based on one book and two or three papers submitted to science journals but more importantly, as I argued in a post awhile back, it was the MEDIA that got the conclusions wrong and or refused to read the scientific caveats. However, why let the facts get in the way of an editorial, eh?

There is simply NO comparison between global warming and global cooling. The body of evidence and the amount of research involved in “climate change” dwarfs what little effort was placed into the global cooling debate. As well, climate change has been an issue for longer that 20 years, and as each year passes the scientific certainty only solidifies. Comparing the two is simply childish, but expected from the scientifically challenged. For further reading: www.realclimate.org

“By the way, without greenhouse gases like water vapour and carbon dioxide, we'd all freeze to death.”

Straw man attacks are simply pathetic! We’d die of thirst without water too Lorrie, however I challenge you to live the rest of your life in a swimming pool.

Enjoy your award, Lorrie. Sadly, I know you´ll not be the last recipient.

Changing an image will do little to change the reality.

2006-12-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

Now to begin, I’ve not seen John Stockwell’s newest horror flick “Turistas go home”(distribution by Fox Atomic - see the trailer). It was just released in the US on Friday, and was shred to sunders by critics the following day – a reaction one would expect for a trashy-teen-oriented slasher-film looking to cash in on the newest blood and guts genre which includes such contemporary classics (cough cough) as “Hostel” and “Saw”.

The film is set in Brazil (off the Rio beaten path to be exact) and after a night of cheap drinky-poos and getting “funky” with the locals, a group of young adventuresome American tourists awake the following day to find that they had all been drugged and robbed and are now left fending for themselves. Needless to say, this is just the beginning of their misadventures and they soon fall prey to a sinister doctor that makes his living in the illegal trade of human organs focusing primarily on Gringos (as revenge for first world meddling in Latin Countries). A must see you’re thinking?

Now, I normally wouldn’t waste time writing a film review, especially having not seen the film, however this is not a review but more of an interesting observation in regards to the reaction of the Brazilian Media, local commentators, and even of the local tourism authority to what most of us would dismiss as just another simple waste of celluloid.

The film has set off a firestorm of controversy in Brazil. Enraged Brazilian bloggers are on the digital-march, and there are even commentaries calling for “Bin Laden to wreak havoc on the US again”; major dailies have jumped all over the story, and there are now calls for a boycott of the film in Brazil. Why? Because people believe the film distorts the image of Brazil and portrays it as a bit (cough) of a lawless nation. For anyone having spent any considerable amount of time in Brazil, such as myself, “falar mal do Brasil” (to speak ill of Brazil), or to even joke, is a “no-no” for gringos on par with “thou shall not have any other gods before me”.

The critique is that the film denigrates the true image of Brazil, one as being a peaceful beautiful country that embraces their tourists (this is PARTLY true), and that the repercussions of this film abroad could affect tourism here (this, is a bit of a stretch). Embratur (the Brazilian tourism association) and the vice-president of the Brazilan Hotel Industry Association have chimed in and are now looking to design campaigns aimed at North Americans to clean the up the country’s image.

However, the attack on this film is misdirected. And the image of Brazil abroad is not based on one film, but on the endless stories of violence, kidnappings and corruption that sadly plague this otherwise lovely nation. Brazil is considered one of the most violent countries on earth. Full stop. Comparisons are constantly made to nations at war by the UN. Gringos ARE in fact robbed and attacked in Brazil frequently, and just last week a group of 18 Brits where robbed leaving the airport by thieves wielding HANDGRANADES.

Months ago the PCC (First Command Capital in English) one of Brazil’s largest and most organized criminal gangs closed down São Paulo for DAYS. São Paulo is the second largest city on earth.

The country is violent, and to turn the attention to Hollywood and blame them for the country’s poor image abroad is pointless and rather childish.

A few years back the producers of the Simpson’s (Praise be Groening) created an episode of the popular American show entitled “Blame it on Lisa” and had the dysfunctional four-digit family head to Rio for a week of frivolity under a mission of finding Lisa’s NGO sponsored orphan. The family upon arrival is swarmed and robbed by children, Homer is kidnapped by a taxi driver and Bart is, well, swallowed by an Anaconda. It was cleverly done and I chuckled myself off the couch.

I laughed equally out loud when Simpson’s family visited my country of origin, the vapid donut consuming nation of Canada. I considered it an honor that the mighty design tables of the Groening geniuses' inked an adventure outside of Springfield and focused on the Great White North, regardless of how silly or disturbingly accurate the stereotypes were.

However, Brazilians didn’t view the Rio de Janeiro episode with as much humor or understanding. The Rio de Janeiro tourism board threatened to sue Fox for financial damages the COMEDY may have caused the tourism industry. Many Brazilians were simply LIVID. It’s not that Brazilian aren’t a risible lot, more than able to role with the punches. Brazilians do spend endless hours berating their homeland, the politics and the way things function, or dare I say, don´t. Yet, it is not the role for outsiders (especially dem dang Merriiikans) to poke fun, or even pine in with an opinion.

On a final note, Brazilian films such as “City of God”, “Carandiru”, “The Redeemer” and the documentary “Bus 174” (One of my favorite docos of all times btw) paint a far more violent image of Brazil than anything Hollywood or the Simpsons could conjure up; and all are praised as works of art here. City of God (based on a true story) was nominated for 4 Oscars in 2004. Set in a favela (shanty town) in Rio de Janeiro the film (shot and edited wonderfully) is about one of the most violent stories you could imagine, where in the poorer hill-side dwellings murderers thrive, the police are all corrupt and there is little to no hope for a future. Again, a film based on real events.

Not all are up in arms about the film, and some are actually using the discussion to shed light on the grave problems facing some of Brazil’s larger cities. On the GLOBO on-line website (one of Brazil’s most respected news agencies) a current blog is underway about the film, and there are a number of individuals that are also perplexed to the nationalistic reaction. As one blogger from Rio De Janeiro put it: “I’m sure the film makes a couple of unfair assumptions about Brazilian culture, however, I bet the film is no where near as frightening than the current reality in this city. To clean up Brazil’s image abroad, Brazil must clean up the country first.”

Kramer is DONE. Mad Max would have been too had his vicious rant been caught on tape.

2006-11-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

There is no excuse, no rational, no words that can justify Michael Richard’s (AKA Kramer on the Hit NBC series Seinfeld) ignorant and bigoted rant aimed at two hecklers from his Laugh Factory show on November 17^th. I won’t waste time reposting his shuddersome remarks here; you can actually SEE his rabid attack on TZM.com, Googlevideo, and of course, the on-line revolutionary video-blog site: Youtube.com.

If you haven’t seen or heard about this story, you must be living on mars.

Further crucifying the 57 year old actor here is pointless – he’s simply an outted-racist whose career is now further spiraling into nonexistence. He’s Done. Caput. The proof being in a 3 minute video that blazed throughout the digital world within hours of his hate-filled vitriol and will remain there, accessible to all, until the end of time. This is the new reality of digital media.

TZM.com notes that the video has been downloaded close to 3 million times (from their site alone) since posted, forcing major news networks like CNN and BBC to pick up the story. Networks, news sites and even the Brazilian News sources here have sunk their talons into this story like a falcon would into the flesh of its prey. It was an international media event probably before Richards awoke the following day.

The actor/stand up comedian did of course later apologize on the Late Night Show with David Letterman under the crafty tutelage of former colleague Jerry Seinfeld – who (nudge nudge wink wink) is just about to release a DVD anniversary edition of the syndicated hit series for the "BUY BIG" holiday season. The pathetic attempt at an apology, which can also be viewed anywhere on-line, did little if anything to ameliorate his berserk outbreak. Why? Because we were able to “bear witness to ignorance” first hand; and those images are now permanently burned into the retina of the public eye.

Words in print do have power; however reading that someone was verbally abusive is not as potent as actually seeing and hearing for one’s self. This is at the base of the Quaker philosophy of “bearing witness”. Once you personally see something wrong, you are then empowered and obliged to do something about it.

Given the immediacy and accessibility of the digital world we were all able to see (up front and personal) Richards' racism, and by doing so, we are now obligated to react. In the case of Michael Richards, this will probably come in the form of a boycott. No one will hire him, and no one will dare pay and see him again. His career is over. How can anyone, ever again, be able to look at that adorably dim-witted and eccentric character “Kramer”, and not think “wow, what an ignorant racist SOB”.

Many in the blog communities are making the comparison with Richard’s to Mel Gibson’s drunken anti-Semitic tirade aimed at local police officers while incarcerated for driving pissed months back. Although the Gibson story also sent shock waves around the world, Mel was able to some extent distant himself from his repugnant remarks by blaming alcoholism for the hate filled harangue. As image consultants compare the two events and offer advice to Richards as in how to SPIN his flub and control the damage, what few are considering here is that Mel’s meltdown wasn’t caught on tape.

Would Mel have had his legions of supporters and colleagues pine in on his behalf had they actually seen the drunken actor frothing at the mouth spouting anti-Semitic abuse? Would his public be as willing as they are to give him the benefit of the doubt had his abuse been caught on tape and flooded the net, like has happened Michael Richards?

I think not.

The climate change debate. Tsk tsk Bill Carol

2006-11-22T08:23:00.000-08:00

(Originally written November 5th 2006)

I’ve been a talk radio fan for years. I usually work with the computer tuned into a “news and views” station either from Toronto, London or wherehaveyou instead of streaming through my 30 gigs of MP3s. Some musician I am.

Well the other day I happened to be tuned into CFRB and caught the Bill Carol show. Bill (and I do enjoy listening to him), in typical rabid-conservative fashion was frothing at the mouth about a story out of Bangor Maine, where WVII and WVFZ (ABC and Fox TV local TV affiliates, respectively) general manager Michael Palmer memoed his staff advising them to IGNORE all stories about global warming until “Bar Harbor is underwater”.

Completely expecting Carol’s ferocious diatribe to be focused into -- what one would hope from any self respecting broadcaster – an anti-censorship sermon; I was gob-smacked to hear Bill rage against environmentalists, and blame their “the sky is falling” tactics for this completely irresponsible and blatantly partisan editorial decision on the part of Palmer.

Woe’s me.

It seems that there are still many card carrying members of the flat earth society stumbling and bumbling about our ever burdened planet, and some sadly have audiences and use their media pulpits to further obfuscate and confuse an already complicated science, and more ridiculously try to paint some of our planet’s greatest defenders as “media manipulative societal burdens”.

Now in all fairness, Bill didn’t reject out right the concept of climate change; his rant was against environmentalists (those green little anti-capitalists devils) for reportedly supplying the media with manipulative images and apocryphal stories regarding climate change.

Now, I’ve been an environmental television director for decades, I’ve traveled the planet twice over, I’ve produced three documentaries on climate change, and was present in Kyoto in 97 when the historical protocol was created. If I’ve learned anything at all, it is that respected environmentalists -- although they ARE great for soundbites -- are usually a little more reserved and cautious than most give them credit for. It is usually the media that hypes up their campaigns and or gets the facts completely wrong.

Certainly, “eco-crusaders” warn that the world is warming (0.7 degrees Celsius and climbing – this is scientific fact, and not environmental conjecture) and that this warming will in fact cause a series of environmental problems around this globe (the scientific debate splits here in terms of the gravity of these effects).

However, for some reason, environmentalists are always blamed when and if the media gets its facts wrong.

The hurricane season of 2005 is now seen as one of those “ah-ha we gotcha” knee-jerk reactions from the legions of naysayer in the flat Earth Society. However, as they rage and spew bile citing that environmentalists blamed the hurricane season on climate change, few are actually honest about where the error occurred. I know quite well what the environmental movement was saying about the 2005 hurricane season, and NO WHERE did any respected or well known environmental organization draw a simple straight line from climate change to Katrina.

What Environmentalists were actually saying (corroborated by scientists) was that hurricane seasons such as 2005 CAN be a symptom of climate change although it is not conclusive, and a warming of the oceans can be ONE added ingredient in the production of hurricanes and or tropical storms. The Atlantic Ocean is in fact 0.5 degrees WARMER than it was decades ago. As well, scientifically, over the last 30 years (and remember we need to think in long term modeling to truly understand trends) the INTENSITY of hurricanes has increased.

Although you would have been hard pressed to find an environmentalist make a direct correlation between the hurricanes of 2005 and climate change, the media had no problems what so ever in making the case.

Sadly for the typically ill informed flat earth society spokesperson, they’ll look to 2006 and note that there where in fact fewer hurricanes, and so THIS, is IN FACT, PROOF, that the environmental movement, the millions of scientists the world over, and NASA (where in fact they do have ROCKET SCIENTISTS working for them) were all wrong.

Before tuning into CFRB, I had read the BBC’s website. I was looking for Sir Nicholas Stern’s widely anticipated report on the possible “economic” costs of Climate change for us as a planet. For those who are unaware, Sir Stern is a respected former economist from the World Bank. His report, in blatant and alarming language, urges all developed nations to reduce their carbon burden by upwards of 60% to avoid catastrophic economic hardship in the future. His report was launched by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Listening to Bill and a few callers rant about environmentalists and global warming conspiracy theories; I was curious as to whether Bill had actually known that this report was being tabled on the very same day he would lash out at the “greenies”. Minutes into his rant someone handed Mr. Carol a bulletin and immediately, and in a boorish “oh my gawd what´s this trite” tone read off the synopsis of the Stern report on the air.

After what appeared to me as an “oh-oh, place foot in mouth” pregnant pause he recovered and grunted “this is what I mean”. Apparently the apocalyptic language of Stern’s economic analysis (and it is a very scary read) was proof that “environmentalists” go too far in their attempts to alarm the public. Huh?

If you consider a World Bank economist and the Prime Minister of one of the wealthiest nations on earth as “eco crusaders” screaming “chicken little conspiracy theories” then, it is not environmentalists to blame for “irresponsible” discussions on climate change; its those reporting on the issues getting their facts wrong and using argumentative fallacies to take attention away from the science, the much needed debate and what I truly believe, urgent action.

Testing

2006-10-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

Before one leaps into the icey waters, a test with the toe is highly recommended.